The Southeast Produce Council is still accepting nominations for its fourth annual Next Generation Award, but the July 17 deadline to submit nominations is fast approaching.
The award honors an SEPC member 39 years or younger who has been employed in the produce industry for at least four years and has made a significant contribution to the industry. (Full details are on the council's website.)
Adam Lytch of L&M Cos. Inc. received the award in its inaugural year of 2017, Ross Williams of Titan Farms received the award in 2018, and Andrew Hare of Vertical Roots received the award in 2019.
The 2020 award will be presented at the council's Southern Innovations event, scheduled for Sept. 17-19 at the Savannah Convention Center in Savannah, GA.
In other news, the council has welcomed three women to its Southern Roots Committee: Mary-Scott DeMarchis of Freesh2o Growers Inc., Erin Waters of Shuman Farms and Stephanie Williams of Scott Farms Inc.
Southern Roots, the council's leadership program for women in produce, was launched in 2014 under the leadership of Teri Miller of The Fresh Market, and is now chaired by Sabrina Pokomandy of Highline Mushrooms.
The council also noted in the July issue of "The Council Connection" that in light of the changing nature of the COVID-19 situation around the country, Southern Innovations 2020 "has evolved into a hybrid experience."
As a solution to the challenge of connecting exhibitors at the show in Savannah with retailers and foodservice members who may be under travel restrictions, the council will offer added benefits for both onsite exhibitors and offsite retail/foodservice members.
The theme of the upcoming Southern Innovations, "Fresh on My Mind," will center on the importance of eating fresh, which has taken on added importance during the pandemic. As such, the council has engineered the event with stricter social practices to ensure the safety of all attendees. These include controlled attendance and booth space, added distance between exhibitors, modified attendee traffic flow, increased hand and surface sanitizing stations, personal protective equipment and collaborative virtual education sessions.
"Ever since our beginning in 1999, it has been the mission of the SEPC to provide an intimate setting for our members to connect and create lasting relationships among one another," David Sherrod, the council's president and chief executive officer, told The Produce News. "Fast forward to 2020, and we find ourselves faced with the challenge of creating that experience in a world that has changed significantly over the last several months."
He continued, "Even though so much has evolved over these past 20 years, the one constant that remains is that deep desire for us to meet as an industry and to be together. We feel it is very important for us to still have our intimate gathering in September, to stand alongside the frontline workers in our industry and keep the supply chain moving. We empathize with our members who cannot travel as well as those who are still unsure about traveling. We also understand the reasons that other trade associations have decided to go completely virtual for this year and fully support them in their circumstances."
He added, "But with that being said, we also know that many of you are ready to get on the road again, and we want to get back to doing what we do best. Rest assured, we will provide the safest environment we possible can as we meet in Savannah while also providing the best virtual experience for the buyers who cannot join us in person. Intimacy is how we started, and we feel we are as prepared for this as anyone in our business."
He concluded, "We will be sending invitations to all our retailers and foodservice members in the coming weeks to sign up for our 'real time' virtual registration, and we want to thank the ones that are already committed on attending in person."
For additional information on Southern Innovations 2020, contact David Sherrod, president and chief executive officer, by phone (478-982-4411) or email (dsherrod@seproducecouncil.com).
